Device for arresting locomotives and cars



' (No Model.) 2 sheets sh eet -2.

P.- BONZAN'O DEVICE FOR ARRESTING LOCOMOTIVES AND ARS, No.293;846. q 'Pmntedreml 1884.

- Tiara-l WITNESSES I f/V'VEJVT0R 0 w 57m VX2 gradually absorb the said momentum, the fric- 'a feature of my invention.

A toe, h, on each lever is arranged to bear on PATENT. c me.

MAXIMIL-IA'N F- BONZANO/OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR A RRESTING-LOCOMOTIVES AND CARS;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 293,846, dated. February 19, 1884.

Application filed Novem ber 21, M83. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAXIMILIA F. Bou- ZANO, acitizen of the United States, anda resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a Device for Arresting Locomotives and Cars, of which the followi'ng'is aspecification.

My invention relates to a device for gently arresting a locomotive or car as it is approaching theterminus of a track, in place of the cumbrous fixed bumper-frames which are in common use, andby violent contact with-which locomotives and cars are often more or less damaged; and my invention consists of a de vice,fully described hereinafter, whereby the momentum of a locomotive or car is caused to impart such friction to a rail or rails as will tion ceasing when the locomotive has backed from the device.

Other objects of my invention are too fully explained hereinafter to need preliminary description.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view of the device for arresting locomotives and cars; Fig. 2, a sec-- tional elevation on the line 1 2; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, an end view of the device, the rails being in section; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 3 4, Fig. 1; Figs. 5. 6, and 7, perspective views, illustrating parts separated from each other; and Figs. 8 and 9 diagrams illustrating Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, inclusive, A and A are-portions of the two rails of a track, and on each rail is a shoe, B, which has in the under side a T-groove, a, (best observed in the perspective view, Fig. 7,) the groove being adapted to the rail, as shown in Fig. 3, so that while the said shoe is at liberty to be moved freely on the rail, under the circumstances eX- plained hereinafter it can have no other movement independently of the said rail.

To lugs b b on each shoe is pivoted a lever, D, one arm, d, of which extends upward, the other arm, 6, being horizontal or nearly so,andthe two arms being connected together by'a substantial web, f, forming partof the lever.

the shoe, and the arm 6 of the lever is above a block, which rests on the rail, as shown in Fig. 2, the said block being arranged to slide 1 on therail with the shoe and lever, as it is loosely confined between .a projection, m, on the latter and the end it of'a slot in the shoe.

The operation of this device may be explained as follows: When the wheel or any other part of a locomotive or car strikes the arm (1 of the lever D, the latter, together with the shoe, will yield and slide on the rail; but

at the same. time such pressure will be exerted the block t will be relieved from pressure, the

toe h of the lever resting on the shoe, which,

with the lever, can be moved back from the position to which it has been pushed.

It will be seen that the friction-block z, so far as regards its functions, is simply a removable part of the arm 6 of the lever D. The

arm, indeed, might bear directly on the rail but for the wearto which it is subjected, whereas, when the friction-block has become unduly worn'it can be readily removed and a new one inserted in. its place. There is, however, this further advantage of the removable block: Under a given force applied to the arm a of the lever D the pressure applied to the block will be proportionate to the difference between the lengths of the two arms of the lever-the shorter the arm e the greater the pressure.

The efi'ective length of the arm (2 will be the distance from the point where the arm is struckand a line, a2, drawn through the center of the pivot-pin of the lever, and the effective length of the arm 0 will be the distance between the said center and the point where the arm bears on the block. Hence, by blocks differently formed at the top, different leverages and different degrees of friction may be obtained. Theuse of a block of the character shown in Fig. 9, for instance, would be equivalent to the shortening of the arm 6 of the lever, and the block, Fig. 10, would be alengthening of the arm.

While a single arresting device like that above described might be used, especially if adapted to a special rail in the center of the track, I prefer two arresting devicesone for each of the usual railsand to connect them together by a cross bar or bars, G; or the arms (I of the two levers may be carried upward and connected together by a cross-beani for the beam of the engine to strike against, and there may be one or more intermediate arresting devices adapted to special rails.

In using the term rail I wish it to bennderstood that the term is intended to include any fixed bar or plate with which a shoe and lever may be combined, substantially in the manner described. The shoe and lever may be fixed to the track and a rail bar or plate eonstrueted to be struck by a locomotive or car may slide in the shoe. It is not essential,n1oreover, that the lever and shoe should be constructed precisely as shown.

Another feature of my invention consists in making the arresting device or devices self-rcstoring to the position from which they have been moved by the locomotive or car after the backing of the latter. This may be done by a counter-balance either in the form of a spring or springs or a weight containedinapit below the track and suspended to a rope or chain passing over guidepulleys to the cross-barG; for it must be remembered that after the levers have been relieved from the pressure of the locomotive or car there is no longer sufficient friction on the rails to prevent the easy restoration of the arresting devices to their normal positions.

The counterbalancing device shown in the drawings consists of a coiled spring, \V, surrounding a rod, H, and interposed between a cross-bar, I, secured to the rails in any suitable manner, and the cross-bar G, the spring yielding when the arresting devices are moved in the direction of the arrow, but being sufiieiently rigid to return the devices to their normal positions when the locomotive or car has backed from them.

The rod- Il may be attached to the cross-bar G and arranged to slide in the cross-bar I, or may be secured to the latter and arranged to slide in the cross-bar G.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a shoe, 13, adapted to a rail,with a lever, D, pivoted to the shoe, and serving with the same as a medium by which a locomotive or car will cause friction on the rail, substantially as'set forth.

2. The combination of the shoeandits lever with counter-balancing mechanism, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the shoe B,adapte'd to the rail, and the lever D, pivoted to the shoe,

with a'removable block, 6, interposed between the arm 0 of the lever and the rail, substantially as specified.

l. The combination of the shoe B with the lever I), having a toe, h, forlimitingthemovement of the lever, as set forth.

5. The combination of two or more shoes, B, adapted to rails on atrack, and each shoe having a lever, l),with a bar or bars for connecting the shoes together, suhstantiallyas described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

)I. F. BOXZANO.

"itncsses:

I'IARRY SMITH, Hemmer Howsox. 

